Is this bag too large? How about a die-cut gift bag? These cute little bags were made with the Fancy Favor Stampin' Up! Bigz Xl die. The stamp on our tag came from the Tags Till Christmas Stampset. It's a fast fun project. The perfect container for that special gift!

What about a Candy Cane Christmas Gift Box!

This box was cut with the Box #2 Bigz Xl die. We filled ours with peppermints of course! Tomorrow we'll have a few ideas about what to put inside your gift bags and boxes! :)

Sunday, November 21, 2010

I love the stamp set Inspired by Nature. I purchased it in September or October, but I haven't had a chance to use it until yesterday! I needed to send some Thank you cards out, so I decided to inaugurate the stamp by using it to create my cards.

Here's the design I came up with. The stamp is quite large and double-sided. The background grass is on one side and the flower is mounted to the other side of the wood block. I inked the stamp with VersaMark and then I inked my brayer with Early Espresso so I could apply an even coat of ink over the VersaMark before stamping my flower image. I embossed the image with clear embossing powder. I used daubers of Always Artichoke, More Mustard, and Cajun Craze inks to apply ink to the Very Vanilla card stock. The edges were inked with Early Espresso also.

Early Espresso card stock is layered with Autumn Spice DSP which frames the completed stamped image. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes, stamped with Early Espresso, and punched out with the Word Window and Modern Label Punch. The completed sentiment is attached to the stamp image with Dimensionals.

I highly recommend adding Teeny Tiny Wishes, Word Window Punch and Modern Label Punch to your arsenal of stamping supplies--they are must haves! You can purchase them on-line from Nanci's Stampin' Up! site 24/7. As for Inspired by Nature, I cannot wait to use this stamp again!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

We had a wonderful time at 2010 Ladies Night Out! The event was from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM and benefited the Youth Programs for the Chrysalis Community Center. Our Penguin Treat bags sold out! We had pre-packaged our Note Card Desk and Christmas gift sets, so we displayed samples of each set on our table.

There were approximately ten other venders at the event which featured a raffle ticket fundraiser with vendor donations and a weekend getaway!

A troup of dancers provided entertainment at regular intervals over the course of the evening. Their costumes were charming and the dances were lively!

The dancers were all different ages!

We had a great view from our table!

Yes, those are lighted candles that they are dancing with on their heads! The Chrysalis Community Center is going to have another fundraiser this spring, we hope to see you there!

Craft Haven Retreats current special of $199 per person has been extended to our Spring 2011 season. Retreat﻿ weekends at Lake View Lodge in Dowagiac, Michigan, include two nights lodging and five home-cooked meals, beverages, and snacks. Your weekend can be customized to meet your groups needs. Crafting classes, massages, manicures, and pedicures available for an additional fee.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Just a quick post to let you know that we are participating in a charity event to benefit Chrysalis' youth programs at the Chicago Heights Country Club West tonight from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM. We sold out of our Thanksgiving Hostess gifts at Saturday's show, so we came up with a couple of cute replacements!

These cute little boxes of "Rudolph Spares" are filled with Red Hot Candies or Cherry Candies.

These Penguin Kiss bags are the substitute for our Turkey Treat Bags! They'll both make excellent stocking stuffers! I want them both in my stocking!

Look close our "penguin" is an owl in disguise! After the Chrysalis Community Center event, I'm off to the midnight showing of Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1! I will be drinking a lot of coffee at work on Friday!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

We've been keeping quite busy in our scrap-booking room preparing for a few craft shows and some Stampin' Up! events. I thought I'd share some pictures from a retreat we had at the end of October. The weather at the lake was beautiful that weekend--mostly sun! The grass is not brown--it's covered with pine needles!

Sandy, from St. Louis, MO sent us this photo. The view is from the living room of the house looking at the lake. I love the fall color in the foliage. I love sitting on the front porch--it's so relaxing!

We had a varied group of crafters this weekend-- quilting, scrap-booking, and handmade ornaments. Saturday after lunch we all ran over to Kathryn Wise's store, Sew Many Pleasures in Dowagiac, MI and we hit a sale! Kathy specializes in gifts and collectibles. After our guests departed on Sunday, Nanci and I ran up to Kathy's shop and hit the sale again!

Best of all we had lively games of dominoes after dinner both nights! Grilled Peach and Chicken Salad, Home Made Navy Bean Soup, and Creme Brulee French Toast Casserole were the favorite weekend menu items! We are booking retreats for 2011 now! E-mail us and reserve your weekend today!